Cincinnati Chili
Okay so this isn't exactly a recipe review because I've been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. It's one my mom and her college roommate have had forever. BUT I am posting the recipe because of the demand on the IP Community Facebook page and because this new "twist" is a game changer. I'm talking about not sitting by the stove heating up your house for three hours stirring it every 30 minutes.
My hubby requests this recipe ALL the time and as much as I love him I HATE not being able to leave and let's be real I never REMEMBER he wants it until it's 5pm when the Bengals are playing. SO this past weekend preseason football was on and the hubby wanted chili and y'all its like 95 degrees in Myrtle Beach and I DID NOT want to turn the stovetop on for that long.
I'm going to post the recipe I have then mention the few tweaks I make to it!
2 lbs EXTRA LEAN ground beef
1 quart water
4 small onions finely chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp crushed red pepper
4 tsp cumin
5 medium bay leaves
1 tsp allspice
1.5 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-6oz can tomato paste
In the IP turn on sauté add water and ground beef and stir until beef separates to a fine texture. Add everything else. Stir to blend. Turn off sauté, close up the IP and press the soup button for 25 min. I let it NPR for a few minutes then finished releasing the pressure. Make sure to remove the bay leaves!!!!!
If you do not have an IP and want to use this recipe, use a 4 quart pot and follow the directions as far as adding all the ingredients. Once you've added them all stir to blend, bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 3 hours. If your chili has your desired consistency after two hours, you can finish the last hour with the pot covered.
Serve with spaghetti pasta, shredded cheese, and oyster crackers
NOW for my notes:
1- I grew up vegetarian so I don't like to use ground beef often. I use soy crumbles or lentils as a substitute. I have made it with beef before and it is VERY important to get extra lean because you don't drain it in this recipe. Alternatively, you could brown the meat on sauté and drain it before adding the water and other ingredients. I have done that before if I could not find extra lean meat. If you use lentils, you might have to keep adding water and cook until the lentils are soft.
2-PLEASE hand shred your cheese....packaged cheese just does not do this meal justice :)
3- I made this chili using soy meat and let's be real after all those spices you won't notice a difference. My meat loving hubby will eat vegetarian Cincinnati chili all day every day.
4- For variatons in toppings, you can add beans and/or onions for that 4 or 5 way chili. Some people add hot sauce to theirs as well. The mythical 6-way adds jalapeños.
5- if you want a more similar texture to Traditional skyline Cincinnati chili, run it through a blender or food processor! (I just tried this when I ate my dinner and it is a game changer)
6-If it is not thick enough after you take it out of the IP let it sit uncovered while it cools and it should thicken nicely.
7-The batch I made in the IP was a half batch. This recipe does really well halved, doubled, or made as is!
Enjoy and let me know what you think!